Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1887-07-07
AMONG THE BALL TEAMS.
Mike Kelly's Return to Chicago Signal
lied by Great Crowds and Great
Enthusiasm.
AnsOn's Lads Sweeping Everything
Before Them In the League
Pcnant Race.
[cHIcAao CORRESPONDENCE I

[cHICAGo CoRREsPoNDENCE.]
If ever season of baseball promised
great things before the pennant races end
ed, that of 1887 is as bright with promises
Of great finish as any lover of the ma
tional game, be ne ever so enthusiastic,
could wish for.
The wholly unexpected and remarkable
spurt made by the White Stockings toward
the close of their last Eastern
trip still continues. and the prospacts
for its eventually placing them at the head
of the string, in the race for the flag, seem
better with each day. Boston came Friday
with the famous Mike Kelly at its head,
and not before i'll the history of the game
in this city has the arrival of ball team
created such great enthusiasm as that
which marked the return of Chicago's old
fayorite.
KELLY's RECEPTION.
Kelly has hundreds, yes, thousands of
admirers in Chicago, and upon the day of
his arrival friday these admirers spread
themselves out at the park-spread them
selves in flowers and spread themselves in
yeils. But before going to the park they
performed the reception act at the Leland
Hotel, where Kelly and his confreTes are
stopping. AT Up. m. the street opposite
the north entrance to the Leland wat
jammed with people. Not less than 5000
were in the crowd. In the middle there
was big brass band playing "See
the Conquering Hero" and other things
of an adulatory character. In the
hotel rotunda Kelly was holding
levee. A circle of nennla twentv deem
to see the hero, and those in his immediate
vicinity shook hands with him until his
patience gave out. Tho Imperial Quartet
crowded in and surrounded him and sang
at him, Mike meantime looking as if he
wished they would go to Jericho and leave
him alone. Then the White Stockings
arrived, and row of carriages and horses
driven by coachmen in drab liveries drove
up, and the White Stockings got into the
three first carriages, and Anson and Kelly
into the next, and the Bostons into the
next three carriages; next followed o lot of
lordly sporting reporters in other carriages.
Then the band struck up "Biddy McGee,"
and the proce sson started as grand as
could be to parade the streets just like
circus, 5000 people cheering the start and
other thousands cheering all along the line.
The procession went parkwards.
OUR SECOND VICTORY.
No one could have asked for q
more rarely beautiful day than
that which dawned on Saturday for
our second game with the Bostons.
Kelly was suffering greatly from IN attack
of Charley Horse or contraction of the
muscles in his left leg, and young Mad
den, of the Bostons, had to do the running
for him. Still, Mike played with much of
| his old-time vim, and the game was q
great one in every way. The crowd was
nearly as large as that of the day before.
Men and boys were packed in the side
stands like figs, and the grand stand was
| so full that men sat in the aisles. There
was O deep semi of plug hats and
bonnets in front of the grand stand in the
space reserved on either side of the catch
| er's path, while the outfeld was fringed
with at least two thousand men. Baldwin
pitched for Chicago, while Conway filed
the box for Boston.
The score was one of the most remarkable
ever recorded ut White Stocking Park, the
clubs standing tied in the fourth inning
and again in the eighth, and Chicago win
| ming by single run in the ninth. Follow
ing is the score by innings:
| Chicagos. ............2 90 0 04 Is
Bostons ..............1 o 8 0 IT
oHICAGo's IMPROVEMENT.
A noticeable feature in tho work of the
White Stockings is the improvement in
their batting, while their fielding is far
more brilliant than it was year ago.
Against such strong points as these oppos-
! ing clubs will find it o difficult task to win
| games.
VAN HALTREN ARRIVES.
| George Van Haltren, the young Cali
fornia pitcher, about whom there has been
more newspaper talk than any ball player
of the present time, Mike Kelly alone ex-
cepted, arrived from Frisco Friday. He
certainly looks like a ball player, and it
is to be hoped will prove one. i had a
brief chat with him in A. G. Spald-
ing & Bros Madison street store,
the morning of his arrival when
he said: Il pitched my first league game
about fourteen months ago, retiring the
opposing side with five hits. In one game
l struck out three men on nino pitched
balls, and my greatest strike-o record was
nineteen men. On another occasion / re-
tired the Pioneers without hit and struck
out seventeen men. At the end of that
season / was fourth in batting, and was No.
in batting this season, with an average OF
,45O. During this season l led in pitchers
averages, and gave but four bases on balls
in a total of nine games.
Van Haltren says that he would not have
gone 10 Pittsburgh or Detroit for any
amount of money.
|
In the League race the Detroits still hold
the lead, with the Bostons second, closely
pursued by New York third, and both &c
closely followed by the Chicagos that they
are uncomfortable. The Philadelphias
will do well 10 hold fifth place. Pittsburgh
Washington and Indianapolis bring up the
rear. They are all out classed and do moi
belong in the League.
In the Association race the st. Louis
team is firmly fixed in the lead, with the
Baltimores second, closely followed by
Cincinnati third, and Louisyilles and Ath.
letics next. The Brooklyns, Metropolitans
and Cleveland bring up the tail end Of the
list.
The fight is hot one between the Mil.
waukee and Oshkosh teams for the North
western League pennant The milwaukee,
team leads by small majority, with tn,
Oshkosh team second; the Des Moines ant
st. Paul teams come next, and the Ii
Crosse and Minneapolis teams follow, will
the Duluth and Eau Claire teams last.
Cox CREGAN.
/